Another Month Finished

Top: thrifted, Karen Kane

Skirt: Fei

Shoes: thrifted, Jazzberry

I’ve now kept this blog for three months. And I’ve been unemployed for three months and about a week. My last day of work at my former full-time job was December 23rd, although I’ve since had a couple of small short-term writing projects. Most of the time I enjoy being free, expecting to find another job soon enough. Sometimes I feel weird and detached from society. It’s so strange to have this much time off. Even when I was in elementary school, summer vacation didn’t last a whole three months.

In my photo for today, I’m wearing my Fei skirt from Anthropologie again. I wanted to wear this thrifted top with a red skirt, but I haven’t found the right one yet, so I figured I’d just add red shoes and lipstick to my outfit instead.

Mom Shorts?

Blouse: thrifted, Forever 21

Cardigan: J.J. Basics

Shorts: thrifted, Esprit

Socks: For Love 21

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Bag: Kenneth Cole Reaction, handed down from my mom

Sunglasses: Urban Outfitters

I found these shorts at ACTS Thrift Store a while back and thought they were the coolest, most totally ’80s pair I’d ever come across. But maybe they’re just “mom” shorts. I love how the shape nips in at the waist and how the legs are wide, but Jasen did not like these on me. Am I crazy for liking them? Have I offically worn something “man repelling” for my blog? I didn’t get carded when I bought wine tonight at the grocery store while wearing them, so what should that tell me?

It was hot today and Jasen and I went to Disneyland in the afternoon, so I also decided that I would wear my new sunglasses for the first time. I added these to my wish list on Urban Outfitters’ website a couple months ago but didn’t want to pay shipping for them. Then they showed up in my local store, and I figured they were worth $10. 

Pink Springtime

Cardigan: Susina

Tank: H&M

Skirt: thrifted

Shoes: thrifted, Naturalizer

After a lot of rain and cloudy days, it’s warm again in Southern California! I celebrated by wearing this ridiculously pink outfit and my thrifted Naturalizer wedges with no socks. I’m crazy about the print on this skirt, but I’ve realized that I need to move the hook and eye on the waistband over so that it fits me better. I can’t just wear this skirt with a top tucked in because you can see the hook and eye straining to stay closed — not cute. So the first time I wore this, I covered the waist with a belt, and now I have this cardigan over it, but I need to stop being lazy and fix the skirt.

Yeah, I know that was really interesting. Moving on, the party that I went to last night was awesome. Several of my former coworkers were there, and everyone brought the most delicious food. My friend Emily made a salad that had spring mix greens, glazed pecans, goat cheese, green apples and an asparagus vinaigrette. It was incredibly good, and of course with those ingredients, why wouldn’t it be? I’m going to have to make it now because I’m craving more of it.

Party Dots

Top: Cotton On

Skirt: Eddie Bauer in the ’90s

Belt: thrifted

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Target

Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls

This is what I’m wearing to a birthday party tonight. Something about it seems off, though. Maybe it’s that I’m not used to seeing myself in a wide belt. I’m thinking about rolling the skirt up at the waist, too, and hiding the roll with the belt. Maybe it’s that the skirt looks too long to me. Well, whatever, I’ll make it work somehow because I want to wear all these things together!

I found the tights in the sale section at Urban Outfitters for $4.99 the other day, and I loved them even more after I put them on and saw what the pattern looks like on an actual leg. I sort of got them to replace my light floral tights, which already have a run in them. That really annoys me, but of course I went right back to Urban and bought more flimsy tights that will probably also get a run after only two wearings. They just have the cutest tights there, and I enjoy the little thrill of finding a nice pair tossed into the sale section with a bunch of undesirable ones.

He'll Make Her Happy

Dress: Trina Turk

Cardigan: Kersh

Socks: Forever 21

Shoes: Boutique 9

Today I went to my super-awesome friend Natasha’s bridal shower, hosted by her fabulous sister, Melissa! It was a lot of fun and there weren’t too many people there, so that really cut down on the stress and awkwardness.

For this special occasion I broke out two more items from my MyShape-employee-discount days: my reddish-orange Trina Turk dress and my angora Kersh cardigan. I mostly wanted to wear this dress because whenever I think of Natasha, I think of bright colors and I thought she would like it. She’s an animator and has the coolest style, way cooler than mine! And she should totally start a blog, even if she can’t update it very often. (Hmm...I wonder who I’m talking to at this point.)

Natasha and her fiancé, Michael, are getting married in June, and I would also like to share that a piano version of the song “He’ll Make Me Happy” from The Muppets Take Manhattan will play as Natasha walks down the aisle. I think this is the CUTEST IDEA EVER and just had to post the music below along with the lyrics in case you haven’t seen the movie or don’t remember them.

This song makes me tear up every time I listen to the music, look at the lyrics or even think about it.

He'll make me happy
Each time I see him
He'll be the reason
My heart can sing
He'll stand beside me
And I'll have everything

She'll make me happy
Each time I hold her
And I will follow
Where my heart may lead
And she'll be all
I'll ever need

Days go passing into years
Years go passing day by day
She'll make him happy
Now and forever
Until forever
Their love will grow
She only knows
He'll make her happy
That's all she needs to know
They'll be so happy
Now and forever
Until forever
Their love will grow

I only know
He'll make me happy
That's all I
need to know

Clock Around the Sock

Top: thrifted, J. Crew

Cardigan: thrifted vintage, Atleigh

Skirt: thrifted

Socks: Forever 21

Shoes: Naturalizer

I don’t know about this skirt. I just don’t know. I’ve worn it once before, but I’m having second thoughts about it. I don’t think it’s very flattering, the more I look at it. I like my socks, though! They have clocks on them! Sort of. The design is kind of strange. There are several chains and each chain has three clocks attached to it, so they’re somewhat like pocket watches; however, with shoes on you can't tell that each chain has three clock faces, which is a good thing. Maybe Forever 21 planned it that way, who knows.

I put this outfit on for a bowling birthday party I’m supposed to go to in the OC tonight, but boy do I look like a librarian! I’m so not going to fit in. I’m also having second thoughts about showing up because it doesn’t start until 9 and I’m going to have to go alone because Jasen is in a film that’s shooting through the night...and I really hate walking to our apartment from the car alone late at night, especially after midnight. It scares the hell out of me. Ughhh! I can’t stand to be a Flaky McFlakerson, though.

Ani Will Like It

Top: thrifted, Finesse

Skirt: Cynthia Steffe

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Necklace: belonged to my grandmother

Shoes: Target

Bag: thrifted

Ani, I know you’re obsessed with black and white, so of course I thought of you when I decided to wear this! This Cynthia Steffe skirt is a favorite of mine for sure. The quality is amazing. If I didn’t feel the need to wear more of a variety of styles for my blog, I think I would wear this skirt a lot more often. I bought it back when – okay, I’m just going to come out and say it now that the company has officially gone out of business – I worked as a copywriter for MyShape.com. We had a 30% employee discount, and I either got this on sale with the discount on top of that or bought it when they were offering an extra 40% off sale items.

It’s lame, but I bought these gray tights months ago, and this is the first time I’ve worn them. I bought them to replace another pair like them from Urban Outfitters that had gotten giant holes. The other pair were also gray, but they were a slightly different gray. Every time I looked at this new pair, I didn’t want to wear them because the gray was different and seemed kind of purplish or blueish. They just weren’t the SAME! But I finally wore them with this black and white outfit since there’s no other gray for them to clash with.

Aren’t the colors and teardrop shapes of this necklace cool? I don’t know how old this is. It belonged to my dad’s mother, and it came to me several years after she passed away. I don’t even remember who gave it to me, but I know it was hers. She was only in her 50s when she died, and I was six. I used to call her “Cookie Grandma” because she had glass jars in a line on her kitchen counter that were always filled with various types of treats, from Fruit Roll-Ups to Pixy Stix to, well, cookies.

This photo demonstrates why I’m usually smiling at least somewhat in my photos. I was trying to take a serious photo for Chictopia here, and as you can see, I can look pretty scary, like an evil child, when I don’t smile. My siblings like to tell me I look like the little girl in Orphan.

Thank You!

My blog now has 25 followers, so I wanted to take this chance to say thank you so much for following. Every time I get a nice comment, it’s such a pick-me-up. I’ll be really stressed out about something and then get a comment and it definitely improves my mood!

I’m also loving finding out about new blogs every day. The online style blog community is amazing! I never even knew all this existed until last year. I’m so glad I finally joined in after losing my job in December, and I hope that once I’m finally employed full-time again I can still fit plenty of blogging and blog reading into my life.

Once again...

Real Vintage, Son

Blouse: Urban Outfitters

Skirt: J. Crew, hand-me-down from my aunt

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: vintage, Valley Shoes

Bag: vintage, Mardane

The other day I decided to stop by ACTS Thrift Store on my way home from running some errands. I figured I’d just drop in, scan the purses, belts and shoes, maybe find a cheap belt. Well, I was very lucky that day because I found these vintage navy heels for, get this, $3.99!! And they came so close to being snatched up by a fellow vintage hunter in the store.

The last couple of times I’ve gone to ACTS, there was a super-tall, Viking-esque guy there with his loud and bratty red-haired son. I was wondering why I kept seeing them, but the day I found these shoes, I found out what the guy was looking for. Right after I picked these babies up from the rack and moved on to the next aisle, the dad and son came right down the other end of the aisle and the dad said, “Hold on, let’s just look at the shoes here. We’re looking for REAL vintage, son.”

Whew, that was close!

As you can probably see, they're just a little too long for me, but their width is AA, so the narrowness keeps them on my feet.

I was trying to show off the purse better here. My hand looks weird because I'm holding the chain in it, but you can't see the chain.

Fun with Layers

Dress: Forever 21

Top: Urban Outfitters

Belt: thrifted, Axiom

Tights: For Love 21

Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls
Shoes: Jessica Simpson

On this rainy morning I decided to get a little more creative and try a print mix. I’ve been loving stripes with florals on other bloggers, and I started my outfit with this dress because it’s floral but warm enough for the stormy weather we’ve been having. I have a few striped tops, but I chose this one because of the color, puffed sleeves and thin material that layers easily. This dress came with a black belt, but I replaced it with my white thrifted belt so the dress would tie in better with the top. I kind of wish I had pink shoes to wear with this outfit, like this pair from Urban:

Maybe that would be too much, though. I also have to mention that Amanda’s style at The Upside of Wonder definitely influenced my decision to layer a dress with a top. I love all her adorable “dress as jumper” looks. This is one of my favorites.

I mentioned in my last post that I went to see Battle: Los Angeles with Jasen and my brothers. It was much more of a war movie than I expected, without a lot of emphasis on the creepy, weird, foreboding and, well, alien behavior of the extraterrestrial invaders. The aliens are mainly just super powerful and aggressive.

The plot was standard, but for an action movie it did a pretty good job of keeping you aware of where everyone was and what was going on. I tend to zone out while watching action films as they turn into a big blur of bullets, but I was entertained throughout this one. The aliens were satisfyingly scary and of the biomechanical variety. The melodramatic scenes meant to help you connect with the characters emotionally made us laugh out loud several times. I especially liked Aaron Eckhart’s delivery of the awful line “It’s like the punchline to a bad joke!” (I think I got that right.)

So if you like alien invasion or war movies, you’ll probably enjoy Battle: Los Angeles, but the plot is nothing new and the aliens are what you’d expect. At the end, the protagonists are basically shooting and launching grenades all over the place while writhing in a pile of rubble. It was worth paying $5 to see.

Matinee

Top: thrifted, Banana Republic

Skirt: BB Dakota

Tights: Hue

Shoes: Naturalizer

Hello! Jasen and I are about to drive to Rancho Cucamonga to visit my brothers, and we’re all planning to see Battle: Los Angeles at their local theater that charges $5 for matinees. I can’t wait! I just love a good alien invasion movie. I don’t get scared by many movies, but aliens freak me out. I’m also excited to get some candy because I had NO candy yesterday at all. The only sugary thing in our apartment right now is lemonade. I can’t live like that. So before the matinee, we’re going to the 99 cent store for some cheap sweets.  

Fluff Love

Sweater: thrifted

Shorts: thrifted

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Bag: thrifted

This fluffy sweater that I found at Quality Thrift is the best! I think it could be homemade because there’s no tag and the front and back are exactly the same, so it can be worn either way. It’s also soft enough to wear without a shirt underneath, and best of all, the pastel stripes are so light, springy and retro. I’m wearing it with some shorts that I also found at Quality Thrift and thought, “Oh, duh, those tights that look best with a really short skirt would be great with shorts!”

No Excuse Needed

Sweater: thrifted, Zara

Dress: Leifsdottir, found at Nordstrom Rack

Socks: unknown

Shoes: Target

You might have noticed by now that green is one of my favorite colors. Of course I was going to wear it on St. Patrick’s Day, but I might wear something like this any day since I have so much green in my wardrobe. Well, I’ll admit the “rainbow” dress is a little over the top. Anyway, I do have Irish ancestry, like 11.9% of the U.S. population. My mother’s father and my father’s father’s mother were Irish American. Their families originated in County Donegal and County Waterford, respectively, so I’ve been told. Not that it matters much since I have several ethnicities in my background and I’m culturally just American or Californian or whatever, but I probably will drink Guinness tonight when Jasen and I go to visit our friends, who are making corned beef and cabbage for dinner.

EDIT: I was in a hurry when I posted and forgot that I also wanted to put the video below on my blog today. It's from the Funny or Die website, and Jasen is in it! He's the guy in the lab coat with a tie and glasses.

Green Beer Brewery from Sean Patrick Flanery

Second Chance

Top: Odille from Anthropologie

Skirt: thrifted

Belt: thrifted, Axiom

Shoes: Urban Outfitters
Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls

I’ve attempted to sell the top I’m wearing to Crossroads a few times. After they rejected it for the fourth or fifth time yesterday, I decided to try wearing it again. The fit has always seemed a little odd to me, but I realized today that this top was just begging for a belt. I think it helps and I like the peplum effect, although looking at the photos I’m still not sure about the fit. Gah! I think I’m being too obsessive. It has such a nice watercolor floral print and a cool neckline, so I should be satisfied with it.

Taco Tuesday

Dress: Lovely Day

Shoes: thrifted, Hush Puppies

Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls

My friend Ani handed this dress down to me because she thought it made her look too young. I guess it is youthful, and I’m pretty sure I saw a contestant on America’s Next Top Model wear it or a very similar dress to panel a few cycles back, but I like it! And I usually don’t like empire-waisted dresses on me, but this one seems to work okay. Maybe it’s because of the high collar elongating the bodice.

I wore this outfit to Doña Rosa tonight for Taco Tuesday: $1.50 tacos and $2.25 margaritas! Not that I had a margarita, because I’m sure they’re mainly water, but the carne asada tacos were excellent.

I Can't Stop!

I mentioned yesterday that I had done a little thrifting and was going to create a haul post. Well, today I bought three more secondhand items from Crossroads to add to this post. I traded in a few things and got $12 in store credit that went toward my purchase, but I still ended up spending about $23 there. Eeek! Oh well, no more of this for a while. I just had to celebrate (again) getting a tax refund. Here’s what I found over the last three days...

From Goodwill:

 Anne Hall skirt, $4.99

This skirt needs to be dry-cleaned, and I’m probably going to alter it so that it falls above the knee. So maybe it wasn’t the wisest investment, but look at that print! Augh!! I HAD to buy it. It reminds me of the Regency era and Jane Austen with those Grecian silhouettes. Plus, the brand is ANNE HALL! Bahaha!

Oh, and yes, this means I no longer own 29 skirts. In fact, well, I have also purchased two other skirts since I started this blog that I haven’t worn yet. One needs to have its hem repaired, and the other is very warm wool and might not get worn until fall. However, I sold one skirt at Crossroads today...so I now have a total of 31 skirts.

Alfred Dunner sweater, $5.99

Natasha talked me into buying this by saying the boxy silhouette reminded her of 1920s flapper style. The pattern also seemed vaguely Art Deco to me, so I became attached to it and could not let it go when I was trying to pare down my pile of items at Goodwill.

Andrew St. John vintage cardigan, $5.99

I’ve been wanting a long, chunky cardigan like this to wear with dresses. I can’t believe it’s in such good condition.

fuchsia ultrasuede belt, $1.99

Just what I need for my blog: another belt! Seriously. I didn’t have one this color.

From ACTS Thrift Store:

Karen Kane top, $1.50

This top has some faint stains on the back, but I really don’t care because the colors are so soft and springy, and I love the print. I plan on wearing this tucked into my high-waisted skirts. The tag says “Dry Clean Only,” but it’s 100% rayon, so I think it should be okay if I wash it in cold water.

blue belt with gold buckle, $0.50

And yet another belt! For fifty cents!

From Crossroads:

Velvet Heart floral dress, $14

This dress is scandalously short on me, but I fell in love with the print. I figure I can wear this as a top with a skirt over it, or with a slip or thin skirt underneath, peeking out. My other idea is to make this into a romper by sewing the center of the skirt together to make legs. Does anyone know if this would work? I know hardly anything about sewing, but it seems like it would be easy enough to add a seam dividing the skirt in two.

J. Crew silk top, $8.50

A mint-colored J. Crew top in mint condition for $8.50? Of course I had to buy this.

Banana Republic sweater, $9.50

Cascading ruffles are my favorite kind, so I grabbed this immediately. I think it also might be long enough to wear with jeggings.

I should open an Etsy shop so I can continue buying clothes that I don't need.

Thrifting Again

Blouse: thrifted, Ann Taylor Loft

Skirt: thrifted, Banana Republic

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

I just had the best few days! After getting a tax refund and going out to lunch at the 101 Coffee Shop with Emily on Saturday, I spent Sunday afternoon and today with Natasha, who stayed over at our apartment last night. Yesterday Natasha and I shopped at Goodwill in Pasadena, and today we hit up ACTS Thrift Store, so I think I need to do another little haul post tomorrow if I have time to photograph everything. I spent about $20 for six items. Hell yeah!

This is what I wore to ACTS today: a blouse I found at Quality Thrift for about $3 and a skirt I traded for at Buffalo Exchange a few years ago. And my ivory Urban flats. I wear these shoes so much in the spring and summer, but sadly they are starting to wear out. I wish Urban would sell them again this year because I would get a second pair to keep in waiting for the day these fall apart.

Also, Zeus learned a new trick. Don’t you love his crossed eyes? Okay, I know it's kind of messed up that I took a photo of him like this, but seriously, Jasen was running outside to rescue him right as I was taking the photo.

Casual Sunday

Top: Urban Outfitters

Dress: Frenchi, found at Nordstrom Rack

Shoes: Pink Studio

Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls

Yeah, for me this is pretty casual. My friend Natasha and I are going to make pinwheels today for her upcoming wedding, so I just wanted to wear this comfortable jersey sundress. I didn’t want to wear a strapless bra, though, which is why I have a knit top over it. I was so excited when I found this dress last summer because it reminded me of a purple and coral floral Tracy Reese dress that I wanted at the time. But the Tracy Reese dress was made of silk and cost almost $400, while this lookalike was only about $15. 

Money, Honey

Sweater: Forever 21

Skirt: thrifted

Tights: Urban Outfitters

Shoes: Target

Bag: Coach

My friend Emily and I went to our accountant in Burbank to get our taxes done today, and with my Loffredo & Associates appointment in mind this morning, I dressed in a teal green skirt and my pearl-trimmed sweater. Of course I had to finish this wealth-themed look with my Coach crossbody bag. Ridiculous, I know. But the accountant worked her magic and got us both refunds! I was so sure Jasen and I would owe on our joint return, but since we both earned enough income as freelance writers over the year (in addition to what I made from my former full-time job) each of us got to write off expenses as a small business. I am so relieved because I recently had to use a credit card to pay for a major car repair, and the refund will help us dig out from under that debt. Thank you, Loffredo & Associates!

Lego Pirate

T-shirt: Urban Outfitters

Skirt: thrifted

Socks: Hue

Shoes: Urban Outfitters

Bag: Tignanello, found at Marshalls

I feel like a Lego pirate in this outfit. You know, one of these guys:

My brother Trevor and I used to spend hours, maybe even days, building Lego fortresses, mainly pirate themed and medieval themed since those were the types of sets we had. I often built striped buildings because there were never enough Legos of one color to make a whole structure. One of my favorite combos was blue and yellow, and I also liked to use white and red, barber-pole style. I loved how the striped buildings coordinated with the pirates’ striped shirts.

I know somewhere there’s a photo of Trevor and me with the largest pirate “complex” we ever created, with multiple striped buildings and plenty of sharks, treasure chests, monkeys and parrots. This city for some reason also had an executioner wearing a medieval helmet with excess Lego-person heads lying in a pile next to his chopping block, as well as a “Jesus,” whom we made with white pants, a blue body, a bearded face and a brunette Lego woman’s hair.

Newly Minted

Top: thrifted, Covington

Skirt: thrifted, Express

Socks: For Love 21

Shoes: Jessica Simpson

Bag: thrifted

Those red wedges that I wore yesterday totally flayed my feet, so today I’m wearing socks out of necessity because I have five band-aids on. I really should not have walked two miles in shoes I had never worn before. I kind of like how the socks look with these pointy shoes, though.

I bought this mint-colored top at Quality Thrift because the cowl neck looks like a rolled collar and I love the squiggly retro crosshatch print. I also didn’t have anything this color in my wardrobe. I’m looking forward to working it into more outfits, imagining it with red, pink, blue or purple. I guess it was a little unimaginative to wear it with a black skirt today, but sometimes I just want to wear a nice black skirt, and I thought the blousy top would work well with this higher waisted one.

You Look Like Betty

Dress: thrifted, Petite Sophisticate

Belt: thrifted

Shoes: thrifted, Jazzberry

Bag: La Regale, found at Marshalls

The first thing Jasen said when he saw me in this dress was “You look like Betty — from The Flintstones!” That was before I added the ’80s splatter belt and red wedges, but it really made me wish I had a bright blue bow to clip in my hair.

I have to admit that I’m proud of this outfit because I really like it and it was almost entirely thrifted. I feel like my camera can’t do it justice because the blue of the dress is much more vibrant in real life. As I mentioned in the haul post showing this dress right after I bought it, it’s a definite robin’s egg or Tiffany blue. 

Warm in the Shade

Top: Forever 21

Skirt: thrifted, Marks & Spencer

Belt: eBay, was attached to a vintage dress

Shoes: thrifted, Naturalizer

Bag: thrifted

The title of this post is wishful thinking because it’s actually only warm outside right now if you stand in the sun. But because of the time of day, it’s so bright that I had to take photos in the shade. But then the colors of my outfit are warm. I’ve been dreaming of going to the beach lately, and since the high is supposed to be 73 today, I started envisioning terra cotta patios, sand, sunsets...things I love about Southern California in the summer. I also thought it would be the perfect day to wear these wedges that I recently found at ACTS Thrift Store for $5.